Freedom

This will be a two part blog entry cause I have been thinking and praying about this all day and am maybe halfway done. So, here is part one.

So a conversation with a friend sparked a question in me: What is true freedom?

The dictionary defines it as "the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint."

In our country we pride ourselves on being free. We have freedom of speach, freedom of press, freedom of religion... But these are used to do whatever we want. To slaughter our unborn children, to live promiscuous lives, to persue the ungodly desires of our flawed hearts. To what end? We are handed earthly freedom only to choose the very things that spiritually enslave us, oh the irony. The bible puts it:

"They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you." (2 Peter 2:19)

It is so interesting to me that God asks us to surrender our earthly freedom and become his slave in order to gain a far greater spiritual freedom. I love how the NLT phrases Mathew 10:39

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it;
but if you give it up for me, you will find it."

I've always quoted that as if it is figurative idea, but its not. The implications are astounding to me. In giving up the right to earthly freedom you might very well be giving up yor physical freedom. A few scriptures back in Mathew 10:17-18 it says:

"But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues.
And you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me-yes, to witness to the world."

It's interesting to me that your physical freedom, your earthly freedom, may be taken at any moment on the whim of a governing authority. While God instituted freedom cannot be taken by anyone.

Happy

I am happy now. Let me explain. For the past year and a half I felt like I was on the run, I knew not from or for what. Whatever it was, it was always either just about to catch me, or just out of my reach. I felt that with every step, pieces of me were being stripped away. Fairly recently my joy was gone, and I thought there was nothing left. It sucked, bad. Have you ever realized that even through all of your prayer and religious stuff you were running the opposite way that God wanted you to go? Essentially running from God. Because thats what I was doing. I didn't run on purpose, but I guess it was no accident either. I probably don't seem like I am making sense, but hang with me here. It's like you start a journey with him and when you stop for gas you forget he's in the bathroom and take off without him. Thats where I had been.

Anyway for the turn. Three months ago I hit the wall, thats what I like to call the place where God strips all of your bad crutches away and allows you to faceplant hardcore. I can't say that I heard from God about moving to Athens, but he gave me little choice. So I moved. I got involved with the Athens Vineyard and since then God has blessed me incredibly. He has placed old friends and new ones in my path, and for that I consider myself extremely blessed.

I'm not entirely sure where I am going with this now... God is back in the vehicle, my joy is back, and I can honestly say that I am closer to being "me" than I have been in a long time. It's nice.

Wal-Mart

I had to suffer the pain of visiting Wal-Mart the other day. As I was standing in line looking at the new tv screens that have been placed in every line in order to force you to watch commercials while you wait for a cashier, I had a horrible epiphany. I had become less than human, I had effectively become a consumer. A mere number on a quarterly report that stated that I, number 242,144,315 had purchased item number 34,321,853,218 and that $5.24 had been gleened as profit from my $6.78 purchase. Yes the world is a sad place indeed my friend...

Later I discovered where the worst drivers in athens congregate: Kroger. After making it safely home, I bowed down and gave thanks to God that I had survived, and while doing so I realized that if God saved me from the Wal-Martians and the Kroger Kolliders He must have some profound purpose for my life.

Jon and I rode 12.5 mile yesterday in like an hour and a half which I think is pretty good, but I'm probably biased :-D I got an order for my new bike locks, I'm hoping I can make a living on these things. We'll see.

Monday, again

So it has been a long day... I studied at a coffee shop for 7.5 hours and then got somewhat in an argument with my sister which I ended by putting headphones in, now I have to apologize...

I really miss the good ole days when it was like 3 am and you could say hey (non-married) Dave, hey (non-married) Doug, lets go jump off something! And then just go do it. It's just not the same anymore...

If you haven't figured it out I'm frustrated. At least this "barley flavored" beverage that my sister gave me for Christmas is good.

Monday

"Never do you find it in the blue sky; you find the mercy of God in the very thick of the cloud" -Alan Redpath.

So, here I sit studying for mens group tomorrow and I came across that, and it really stuck a chord in me. We serve an incredible God, who always comes through. I'ts amazing, honestly.

Jon, Doug, and I went up to Wayah bald in North Carolina yesterday. We left a car at the bottom and had Noelle drive us to the top where we proceeded to run down 4.2 miles of the AT, it was probably the best time I've ever had on the AT (except maybe the time Dave and I slept in a bivy tent and I had eaten burritos earlier in the day.)

I took a Geology test today, not sure how I did yet, but I think I got something in the 80's. I guess we'll see.

The Lord has been convicting me about gossiping lately, so I'm working on that. Gossiping sounds so mmmm feminine, how about; the Lord has been convicting me about talking behind people backs, so I'm working on it. lol.

I miss my motorcycle more and more every day :-( I saw a green speed four go by earlier and almst cried.

I'm listening to Gateway Worship on Real Rhapsody (thanks Jon) and I miss being there in person. Ok, I'm stopping now, living in the past = bad.

On a bright note, I'm officially on the Hub cycling team, so Lord willing I'll be racing later this summer :-D I absolutely love pedalling, its great.